China vs. India War: Why Indian Army Is Too Weak To Fight

As it seems China vs. India war is about to break out any second, the Indian army is terribly unprepared to fight Chinese.

As China’s top academic reveals plans of a “small-scale military operation to expel Indian troops within two weeks,” published in the state-run daily Global Times over the weekend, a China vs. India war is no longer something only die-hard, military-eager patriots are advocating for. A military conflict between the world’s two most populous nations over a territorial dispute has now changed its status from “unlikely” to “imminent.”

As tensions on the extensive China-India border show no signs of going away, the mere possibility of a heated stand-off, which has steered clear of actual fighting since mid-June so far, evolving into an all-out military conflict could become an existential catastrophe for India, whose army appears to be unprepared for intense fighting, a recent report by India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) shows.

China vs. India War: On The Doorstep, Knocking

The territorial dispute between nuclear-armed China vs. India broke out in the middle of June, when Beijing ordered to construct a road in its disputed area with Bhutan, a major ally of New Delhi. India immediately sent its troops into Bhutan to prevent the road’s construction, getting a furious response from China, whose ever-increasing number of soldiers have since been locked in a border stand-off against Indian soldiers for nearly two months now.

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In what has turned into the most volatile and unpredictable stand-off between Chinese and Indian troops on the borderline in decades, China has been urging India to withdraw its troops and stop blocking the road’s construction in its own territory. New Delhi has been reluctant to surrender, risking a major China vs. India war to break out on the Indian subcontinent.

While Beijing and New Delhi are no strangers to disputes along their massive 2,500-mile border – the two nuclear-armed Asian rivals even fought the Sino-Indian war in 1962, which the Indian army lost – the ongoing stand-off on the Doklam Plateau could leave thousands or millions of people dead.

Why India is Doomed to LOSE China vs. India War

China has given India a series of warnings to withdraw its troops from the disputed area to avoid confrontation. But India continues standing its ground in the border stand-off it has little chance of winning if the actual military fighting breaks out.

Amid reports that Beijing keeps sending more of its troops closer to the border stand-off with India, Senior Col Li Li of the People’s Liberation Army gave an ominous warning to Indians on Monday, calling India’s move to send troops into the disputed patch of land in Bhutan an “invasion of Chinese territory,” and insisting that the Chinese army will do its “best” to “protect territorial integrity,” according to The Economic Times.

China’s annual defense spending dwarfs India’s, $216 billion to $56 billion, but that is not the only factor that leaves New Delhi little to no chances of defeating the world’s second largest military in case a China vs. India war breaks out. But it’s not only intimidating stats of China’s military prowess and the anti-Indian rhetoric in the Chinese media that gives a realistic forecast of a China vs. India war, it’s also New Delhi itself who has a gloomy outlook for its army.

India Confirms Its Army is Too Weak to Fight China

In a down-to-earth report into the state of the Indian army submitted to Parliament, India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reveals disturbing findings about the army’s battle preparedness, making the prospect of a China vs. India war even scarier for the Indians.

The CAG report, which was made public in The Hindustan Times and serves as a follow-up to the conclusions of May 2015, reveals that the Indian army is suffering from a dramatic shortfall of necessary ammunition, gloomy unpreparedness for intense fighting, a disturbing shortage of essential resources as well as inadequate training of Indian soldiers.

Despite all the eagerness to attack China militarily and bravery of Indian commenters on social media, the CAG report shows that the Indian army may be not ready to fight neither China nor Pakistan, with whom India has engaged in separate territorial disputes.

The CAG report shows that 80% of India’s ammunition in September 2016 was below the required levels to battle a foreign country’s army in intense fighting. The sullen statistic has not improved much in 2017, the report shows. On top of the significant shortage of essential resources, the report also estimated between 77% and 88% shortfall in resources required for military training.

India’s Weakening Army ‘No Match’ For China’s Military Prowess

But dealing with weaknesses of its own army is the least of India’s concern, as the Chinese army continues making sweeping advancements, making its rivals tremble with sheer fear. As the Indian army is suffering from an apparent decline – as shown in the CAG report – the Chinese army is wasting no time. Ever since Chinese President President Xi made the pledge to modernize the People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese army has benefited from years of double-digit percentage increases in the defense budget.

While the Chinese army appears to be able to match the country’s global reach and influence, 2017 brought quite a few military milestones. Last month, Chinese warships carried out military drills with the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Earlier this month, China finally opened its first overseas military base in the African nation of Djibouti. While many speculate that the next military base China opens will be on the soil of Pakistan, its arguably biggest Asian partner, the superior state of the Chinese army cannot be overlooked anymore.

China further showed off its military prowess during a military parade late last month to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army. As expected, the parade involved a never-seen-before show of force, with over 12,000 Chinese troops marching at the big event.

During the parade, China put 600 pieces of military equipment on display and showcased more than 100 advanced aircraft, about half of which had never been publicly showcased before. The parade would not have attracted that much attention in the world if it had not been held during one of the worst border stand-offs in Asia.

China vs. India War is NOT Something India’s ‘Fragile Economy’ Can Afford

A military of 2.3 million service members and tons of cutting-edge military hardware are not the only things fueling India’s fears amid a possible China vs. India military confrontation. The border stand-off between Beijing and New Delhi has caught India off guard at a very inopportune time for its economy.

Over the weekend, Global Times reminded India of its “fragile economy,” pointing that its recent Goods and Services Tax have further slowed down economic growth in India. As “the makers of India’s monetary policy cut interest rates” recently and “rates of job shedding” in the country, according to The Economic Times, going to war with China is not something India could afford right now and get away with.

Polina Tikhonova is a writer, journalist and a certified translator. Over the past 7 years, she has worked for a wide variety of top European, American, Russian, and Ukrainian media outlets. Polina holds a Master's Degree in English Philology from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the Saint Petersburg State University.
Her articles and news reports have been published by many newspapers, magazines, journals, blogs and online media sources across the globe.
Polina is fluent in English, German, Ukrainian and Russian.

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